Apparatus for delivering charges of material



Oct. 18, 1949. A. D. SMITH 2,485,018

APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING CHARGES OF MATERIAL Filed. Nov. 25, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

Oct. 18, 1949. A. D. SMITH APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING CHARGES OF MATERIAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 25, 1944 kw \X EN TOR.

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APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING CHARGES OF MATERIAL Filed Nov. 25, 1944 4 Shets-Sheet 3 Oct. 18, 1949. A; D. SMITH APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING CHARGES OF MATERIAL Filed Nov. 25, 1944 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 QIMQLZZ IN V EN TOR.

Patented Oct. 18, 1949 APPARATUS FOR DELIVERING CHARGES OF MATERIAL Arthur D. Smith, Spokane, Wash., assignor to Aluminum Company of America, Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 25, 1944, Serial No. 565,141

1 Claim.

This invention relates to apparatus for delivcry of charges of material into receptacles, such as the melting chambers of scrap furnaces.

The object of the invention is to provide a charging mechanism which will be compact and strong in construction and simple in operation, receiving the material and delivering successive charges into the furnace or other receptacle.

A further object of the invention is to provide such apparatus adapted to deliver the charges of material from opposite ends so as to selectively supply the charges to receiving structures on opposite sides of a central area, such as the charging sides of two adjacent furnaces.

Further objects of the invention, particularly in the provision of a balanced structure carrying its driving and operating mechanism for movement as a unit along a track will appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine in position to charge a furnace at the right;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view longitudinally through the center of the charging trough;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line IVIV of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation looking from the right of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 'VIVI of Fig. 2; and

Fig. '7 is a vertical sectional view on enlarged scale on the line VII-VII of Fig. 2.

The entire charging mechanism is supported on frame F mounted on wheels l2 runing ona pair of rails T which extend between the charging sides of two adjacent furnaces A and B. It is held in place in front of either furnace by means of anchor pins P dropped into the holes in brackets K in front of the furnace doors and passing through matching holes in bracket plates E protruding laterally from the ends of frame F.

Material is gathered in containers such as tote boxes X (Fig. 4) and hauled to the machine by platform trucks which place the box X against the tilting table H as shown with the bottom edge 40 of the box in the hooks 4| at the lower edge of the tilting table. The operator locks the box X to the tilting table H with the toggle hooks 42 (Fig. 7), these hooks being operated by cranks 43 and shaft 44 through the toggle mechanism 45. counterclockwise movement of the cranks 43 draws the hooks 42 down against stop shoulder 46 and locks them there.

The table H is mounted on a shaft by brackets 41 (Figs. 4 and 5) and is rigidly fastened to gear segment 48 by member 49, said shaft 50 being mounted at its ends in blocks 5! adjustably mounted in cradles 52 on cross beams l1 and I8 (Figs. 1 and 2) of the frame F. A motor 55 through shaft 56 and gearing 51 mounted on cross beams 33 drives pinion 58 meshing with the teeth 59 of gear segment 48 to rotate this segment and lift the table H and box X upward (broken lines in Fig. 4) to a position approximately 30 above the horizontal, thereby allowing the scrap in box X to discharge between guides 60 and across the end 6| of the table H into a horizontal charging trough 28 from which the scrap is slid into the furnace opening at either end of the trough. The operator may level out the load in the trough by any suitable means, such as a rake, and when the trough is filled, the motor drive 55 is oppositely rotated to partially lower the table H to a position where the remaining scrap in the box X will be held against sliding out.

With the trough 28 loaded the furnace door is opened and the charge of scrap is engaged by the pusher plate 62 which is moved toward the furnace, the trough and scrap moving with it until as the end 3! of the trough reaches within the furnace opening 32 of furnace A the spring stop 63 (Fig. 3) engages plate 64 of the frame F sharply stopping the trough movement and permitting continued movement of the pusher plate and scrap to project the latter into the furnace. Reversing the pusher drive will lead the pusher 62 and trough 28 back into position with spring stop 65 against plate 66 for refilling by again lifting table H, the furnace door being closed between successive charges emptying the scrap from box X into furnace A. After a load of scrap is charged into one furnace the anchor pins P may be removed and a sling hooked between the pusher and the opposite furnace B so that drive of the pusher toward A will draw the machine along tracks T to furnace B. After anchoring the machine by pins P to brackets K of furnace B, the pusher 62 may be positioned at the opposite end of the trough 28 and swung through thereby conditioning it for feeding the scrap over trough end 30 into furnace B.

The frame support and operating mechanism are of strong rugged construction mounting all the machinery on the base formed by the cross bars in supported by the longitudinal beams H carrying at their ends the journals I3 on shafts I4 of wheels l2. Vertical struts l5, l6 carry the upper cross beams l1, l8 bearing the longitudinal channels 2! from which cross channels depend and the brackets l9 carrying shafts 24 of flanged rollers 25 supporting the trough structure 28 for longitudinal movement. At each end of the frame F inclined struts extend from cross beams l0 below to the outer ends of side beams 2| above to support these ends connected by the channel irons 36'a'nd having side plates 31 and .the bracket plates E.

The trough 28 comprises a bottom piece 26, vertical side pieces 29 and corner angles ilrestingon the rollers 25. The trough sides 29 carry angle bars H forming channels for the rollers 12 of the pusher assembly including .plate '62. The .pusher carriage comprises side plates 13 carried by rollers "l2 and in turn supporting the pusher head 14 by top strips 15 on each side. Attached to thezhead 14 by shaft 16 are pusher arms 11 connected at their ends to pusher plate 62 resting on the bottom plate 26 of the trough 28. The arms 11 and plate 62 may be swung through 180 to either right or deft position as indicated :in :Fig. .3.

To drive the pusher .a :motor 30 through shaft 8|, gears 82 (on :platform 23) and transverse shaftm drives the sprocket 8d engaging a chain 85 on-eachside of the trough supporting structure, Each chain :85 passes around pulleys "8.6 at .each end of the machine and adjustably mountedsprockets Bl attire-center and the ends of the chains are fastened at .88 to the side extensions :89 of the pusher assembly. Motor :80 through chains .85 moves the pusher and Ltrough forward to charge the .furnace and on reversal pulls the trough out of the :funace by engagement of-the wheels 120mm pusher .car

;riage with the end stops Ill.

The double ended delivery employs the same trough and pusher for supplies to opposite furgraces without turning around the machine as a whole. I'tis simply run from one furnace to :the other along trackwav T, har ing one while the other is heating the melt.

The indirect moving of the trough by the ,engagexnent of the pusher with the charge utilizes a single drive for pusher and trough and at 9 same time permits the pusher to-move independentlyzof the trough when the latter is stopped by engagement .of its spring stops :63, 5 with plates :64, dfin'espectively. The jarsof-pthis sharp stoppage also :frees the load of scrap from the trough due in part to the momentum .of the charge and :the pusher behind it, so that the scrap is projected into the furnace.

The lifting table H at the side is positioned close 1130' the adjacent "track supportand its over- ;hauns :load is counter balanced :by the heavy framework and equipment positioned over near the other track. The table in lifting also turns aroundaicenter betweenthe tracks and any overbalancing:eiiect is at a maximum at or near the start of the lifting. Therefore, any load that oil can be started can be safely carried over to the trough because the tipping force of the load decreases as the lifting progresses.

After the box X of scrap is positioned on the lifting table the workman has only to control the table and pusher drives in proper sequence leveling ofi the load if the scrap rolls .into the trough unequally. The charging action after the furnace doors are opened is a prompt direct projecting of the load into the melting chamber, after which the doors are closed during reloading of the trough. Successive charges from the box X are thus rapidly thrown into the furnace and the empty box returned by reversal of the liftin table H and release of the gripping hooks.

Whilethe machine has been described in connection with the charging of scrap into furnaces, it "is :not limited to such material or operation, and its principle applies to the delivery of charges of other materials for other purposes within the combinations set forth in the appended claim,

I claim:

In material harging device, combina tion, a support adapted for translation between two opposite charging points, :a material receivin trou h carried by said suppo tfor fr e-movement therealong opposite directions toward each of said- -p oints, a carriage mounted for movement in opposite directions longitudinally of said trough toward and away fmmeach of said chargin 'points, means for eflecting said movement of said carriage and a pusher element shaped to operate in said trough, said element being fixe to a-id carria and adapted to c ntact and shift material held .in said trough as the carriage is moved toward either charging point and comprising a vnuaniber swingably mounted on said carriage to be moved in o op native position in either direction depending .upon the direction ofmovement of the carriage.

,ALDEAN REFERENCES CITED The following retepences are :of record in the file .of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 134,027 Havens Dec. .17, 1 .872 937,829 Little ..-0ct. 26, 19.09

1,916,103 Ferwerda et al June'27,21933 2,168,527 Iversen Aug.,= 1'939 2186x163 Maine Jan. 9, 1940 2,268,220 Marshall Dec. 30, '1941 2,321,300 Keagy June'B, 1943 FOREIGN -l?A'IEHT$ Number Country Date 113,027 Germany Oct. 26, L899 

